The following disclosure relates to hooks, and has particular application to fishing hooks that are used for barb-free fishing.
Barb-free fishing, i.e., fishing using barb-free hooks, has become more common among sportsman who practice catch and release. Additionally, barb-free fishing has become more common because of conservation efforts and attempts to minimize harm to the fish that are being caught and released. Furthermore, certain bodies of water are designated for barb-free fishing only.
Much of the time, the hook that is used for barb-free fishing originally had a barb. In that case, the user has to crimp the barb down using a pliers, or another suitable instrument, so that the hook no longer has a barb. Alternatively, the barb can be removed by filing, grinding, or any other suitable method.
A wide variety of fishing hooks have been designed and used for various purposes. Many of these hooks can have their barbs easily removed and be used for barb-free fishing. Examples of such prior fishing hooks are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 620,896; 827,757; 1,055,104; 2,526,240; 2,651,134; 3,604,143; 3,754,347; 4,621,449; 4,757,634; 4,833,816; 4,862,632; 4,928,423; 4,930,249; 5,084,998; 5,524,385; 5,806,233; Des. 370,520; and Des. 288,467.
While some of these designs may be perfectly adequate for some uses, they may not work very well when the barb has either been crimped down or removed for barb-free fishing. For most of these designs, when the hook is made barb-free, the design of the resulting hook allows a fish to flip off of, or otherwise escape from, the hook.
Because of the growing popularity of barb-free fishing, a need exists for an improved hook design that can be used for barb-free fishing and reduce the chance of a fish flipping off, or otherwise escaping from, the barb-free hook.
The disclosed apparatus and methods avoids some of the disadvantages of prior devices and methods while affording additional structural and operating advantages.
The disclosed hook includes a long curved bite that curves back toward the remainder of the hook.